Gadgets May Negatively Affect Your Child's Weight and Sleeping Habits

MedicalNewsToday.com reports that children who have gadgets inside their rooms may have a higher risk of becoming obese than those who don't.

Surveying 3,400 fifth grade students, researchers from the University of Alberta analyzed data on sleep practices, as well as the kinds of electronics children use before going to bed.

They found that 50 percent of the participants have a television set, a DVD player, or a video game console inside their rooms; 21 percent have a computer; 17 percent have a cellular phone; and a total of five percent have three kinds of electronics. Half of the participants admitted to using at least one device after lights out (most kids watched television) and 27 percent said that they did around three stimulating activities prior to sleeping.

According to the study, kids who used the said devices before bedtime were 1.47 times more likely to be overweight as compared to those who didn’t, while children who have three or more electronic devices in their bedrooms were 2.57 times more likely to become obese.

On the other hand, children who didn’t have much technological distractions installed in their bedrooms were more likely to get an ample amount of sleep, which lowers their chances of becoming overweight by 28 percent and of becoming obese by 30 percent.

If your child already has electronic devices in his bedroom, it may be close to impossible to get them out, so it’s important to instill in him the importance of rest, as well as the adverse effects of using his tech toys past bedtime.